Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

As one of the few experts who only preaches what I practice - and what has worked for hundreds of my students - here's the real deal on the 7 key strategies that need to be firing on all cylinders for your business to grow.

Questions I get from smart cookies like you all the time:

David, what does it take togain pre-eminencein my market?

How can I become thego-to personin my topic/niche?

Why am I still wrestling with thefeast-or-famine revenueroller coaster?

How can Iset and get premium feeswhen clients are tight with budgets?

How can Iexpandmy reach,growmy list &buildmy platform?

How can I recession-proof my businessso that I make money regardless of the economyand industry ups and downs?

I'm plenty busy -why aren't I making more money?

All these questions have their answershidden in one of 7 key areasof your thought-leadership business as a consultant, speaker, coach, author or independent professional...

Let's explore each one - and see how you can tune, tweak, and improve anything that's missing, not performing, or could use a major overhaul in YOUR business...

1. Speaking- obviously, this is my area of expertise. Having a solid speaker marketing strategy is vital to help you gain visibility in front of audiences who matter (aka buyers and decision-makers); generate leads for your back-end professional services; and generate significant revenue in paid professional speaking fees for your workshops, seminars, keynotes, trainings, workshops, and private events. Speaking is one of the most powerful lead-generators and revenue-generators in your expertise-driven business.

But how do you scale this above and beyond the audiences that you can reach through live speaking? The next pie slice has your answer...

2. Online Courses- The most successful experts, speakers, consultants, and coaches areembracing the power of online courses, e-learning, and digital distribution methods for their expertise. The first benefit here is pure scalability - your business can reach thousands (or tens of thousands) of ideal customers, prospects, and buyers through the power of online courses. As a source of revenue, online courses are hard to beat because you create it once - and get paid over and over and over. This allows you to create a freedom-based business where your value is no longer tied to your personal time, attention, and presence. Jackpot!!

But now how do you reach those thousands of eager prospects, buyers, and decision-makers? Let's look at the next piece of the pie...

3. Webinars- The day I fully embraced webinar marketing back in 2012, my entire business - heck, my entire life - changed dramatically. We are living in an "Attention Economy" - meaning, when it comes to getting clients, you first need to earn their attention and only then do you get the chance to earn their money :o) The #1 best way to deliver massive value to your subscribers, fans, followers, prospects, and buyers is with content-rich webinars that teach actionable strategies, tactics, and tools. You need to be radically helpful and radically generous. This is what converts strangers to friends and friends to prospects and prospects to paying customers who love you, buy, repeat, recommend, and refer like crazy.

But webinars presented here and there sporadically and without a clear strategy are not going to do the trick. So you need...

4. Funnels- A marketing funnel is simply a fancy word for a programmatic sequence of touchpoints - emails, videos, blog posts, webinars, PDFs, and other helpful communications - delivered in a specific sequence to a specific subset of people specifically interested in a certain one of your products, services, or programs. A marketing funnel is your lifeline that keeps you connected to prospects who are at various phases of the buying cycle - from merely interested in the topic (browsers) all the way to committed to investing in your solutions/services (buyers). A well-designed marketing funnel will take a cold lead from initial contact to signed contract in a pre-determined sequence designed to both add value, and extend offers and invitations to your relevant investable opportunities. Without a marketing funnel in place, you will never get off the "feast or famine" revenue roller coaster. And worse, you risk alienating people who are NOT interested in buying today while completely missing out on sales to the hot prospects who are ready to buy right now.

But what about long-term stability and predictable revenue? The best way to share your expertise and gain this benefit is...

5. Consulting/Coaching- Having longer-term engagements on your service menu - such as 90-day coaching packages or year-long consulting programs or monthly facilitated mastermind roundtables - is a great way to increase your impact on client results. Remember, people don't really value transactions - but they VERY much value programs and services that deliver transformation. And delivering results over a sustained period of time is the best way to guarantee your clients' success. Because of the greater depth, breadth, and duration of these engagements, it is much easier to get premium fees from premium clients who are deeply committed to the transformation you offer that will get them the results they truly want. These longer-term engagements also provide the foundation of your financial stability because the income is significant and ongoing.

But then how do you capture "lightning in a bottle" to let all the folks who can't afford your consulting or coaching know you are the real-deal resource who can help them when they're ready to transform?

6. Publishing- One of the best ways to do this is with publishing a nonfiction business book based on the expertise you already have. Writing, publishing, and promoting a business book that captures your methodology, training, and tools is an outstanding way to build your platform, expand your reach, and establish your authority as the "go-to" expert in your specific topic, niche, or industry. After all, you "wrote the book" on it so you must be a highly credible expert. And - some tough love coming up here - your book needs to be excellent. Not just good or very good, but truly great. It does NOT need to be long - in fact, the bestselling business books of all time are less than 120 pages in a small 5x7 trade publishing format. But just writing a book for the sake of having a book (and a crappy one at that) is definitely not going to help promote your expertise. That's why the book needs to be marketed, launched, and sold for the long-term impact it can have on your professional success.

And what makes all of these components really take off? It's about how you articulate and distinguish them with your messaging and packaging, which means you need to master...

7. Copywriting- Copywriting has nothing to do with patents, trademarks and copyright notices ;o) "Copy" is written content conveyed through online media and print materials. Copywriting is one of the most essential elements of effective marketing and successful selling. It is the art and science of strategically delivering words (whether written or spoken) that get people to take some form of action. Good copy resonates with the reader and is relevant, valuable, attractive, and effective in communicating the value, impact, results, outcomes, and emotional payoffs tied to investing in and benefitting from your products, services, or programs. The better you are at copywriting, the more prospects, leads, and sales you will generate because you'll be able to quickly get your prospects to "get it, need it, and want it" when considering buying from you.

Strap in and hang on - you are getting the mother lode of product development ideas right here in this post. Yes, that's right - below are 50+ ideas to help you productize, monetize and distribute your expertise.

Why is this important to you? (Yes, MORE important than reading about 50 shades of whips, handcuffs and lingerie...)

Well, here are some questions to help you answer that for yourself...

As a speaker, author, or thought-leading professional, do you...

Feel exhausted by long days filled with time-consuming one-on-one client work, running from one meeting to the next, and an endless stream of emails and phone calls...

Find yourself frustrated by chasing the broken business model of trading hours for dollars...

Fear that your business is taking over your life with less and less free time for creative play, family and friends, and proactive planning and business development...

Wish you could LEVERAGE yourself and your knowledge to generate more PASSIVE income...

Want to figure out how to work with better clients while making even MORE money and working LESS? (Yes, really!!)

Shhh... Here's the SECRET you don't want your friends, clients, spouse, neighbors, or colleagues to know: Although you are very successful, you still want MORE... and you're really not sure how to get to that next level...

Somehow, some way, you want to grow your thought leadership platform so you get:

MORE Leads

MORE Clients

MORE Consulting Work

MORE Speaking Engagements

MORE Profits

MORE Passive Income

and 100-300% MORE Revenue...

Which will in turn, help you generate:

MORE Clarity

MORE Confidence

MORE Control

MORE Cashflow

MORE Time Off

MORE Leverage

and dramatically MORE Freedom...

The secret to adding LEVERAGE to your business is to DIVERSIFY the methods and media with which you share your expertise with the world.

You can use the online course methodology to create ANY of the following:

I'm hugely honored to have also been nominated for "Top Sales and Marketing Webinar" for the program I presented for the great folks at Marketing Cloud. (Email me if you want the replay link - I was on fire!!)

Would you be wonderful enough to help by voting (early and often) using each link above? The public vote will account for 50% of the overall scores and the other 50% will come from an expert-judging panel.

You may revisit and vote every 24 hours between now and December 13th. There's no registration. Two clicks and you're done.

Have you ever wondered why your prospects DON’T buy from you? Especially when you can see as plain as the nose on their face that they DESPERATELY need what you do and could benefit from it HUGELY?

Well… as with most marketing - it’s not about YOU.

It’s about THEM.

And your prospects are not actually idiots - but IDIOTS is a good acronym for the six biggest reasons that your prospects DON’T buy.

I’ve done a lot of thinking about this because MANY of my 1-on-1 marketing coaching clients experience precisely this problem when we begin working together.

And solving it for them immediately puts money in their pocket. Just like it will for YOU.

Here are the six parts of the IDIOTS acronym:

Ignorant of their problem

Denial of their situation

Indifferent to your brand

Overwhelmed with choices

Terrified of making a mistake

Suspicious of marketers/salespeople

Let’s unpack these one at a time. And you’ll also get specific ideas for what to DO to punch through each of these six obstacles and close more sales - better sales - faster sales.

1. Ignorant of their problem. They “don’t know what they don’t know” about what’s wrong, missing, broken, too slow, too inefficient. And you can’t sell someone on the fact that they have a problem. Never works. Just pisses ‘em off.

What to DO: Use the following language: “Is This You?” and then cleanly and crisply articulate their pains, problems, heartaches, headaches, challenges, and gaps in language that they will instantly recognize - because you’re entering the conversation that’s already happening in their head every single day.

2. Denial of their situation. “Me? Problem? No, no, no - that’s impossible.” This is actually a WORSE problem than mere ignorance. It’s awareness plus a determination to avoid, deny or minimize the problem. This is also commonly referred to as the “head in the sand” syndrome.

What to DO: Call out the elephant in the room (the denial) and skillfully weave in stories of other people in similar situations who emerged from their denial, made some tough choices, and came out victorious in the end. In order to avoid insulting them, use language such as, “Many folks in your situation prefer to address the surface issues rather than deal with the problem head-on. That makes perfect sense because this can be messy, expensive, and painful. Using our [product/service/whatever you’re selling], our clients find that it’s not nearly as bad as they feared - and once it’s done, everything gets better in the areas of X, Y. and Z."

3. Indifferent to your brand. “Who are you again? And from what company?” Early in my entrepreneurial career as a marketing speaker and marketing coach, I called on a client and we had a very cordial 20-minute meeting. He seemed ready to move ahead. Until he thought to ask me this question, “If you’re so good, how come I’ve never heard of you before?” OUCH! 12 years ago I didn’t have a good answer. (Today, I would take a copy of my book from my briefcase and slap him upside the head with it before leaving an autographed copy on his desk and seeing myself out.)

What to DO: Buyers don’t buy you, your product, your service, or your brand sight unseen. So the answer is easy: GET SEEN! Use 3PR strategies to maximize your influence and impact in the right places in front of the right prospects for the right reasons. Keep showing up as a person (and company) “of value” and soon, they’ll be coming to YOU, not vice versa.

What to DO: Market to the LAZY - What can you OFFER that’s easy, fast, and free? Market to the BUSY - What can you DO to be heard above the noise? Market to the BEFUDDLED - What can you SAY that will immediately resonate with your best prospects because it shows that you “get” them?

5. Terrified of making a mistake. Yup - your buyers are risk-averse. Scaredy cats, in fact. As they should be because they’ve probably been burned by people who looked a lot like YOU in the not-too-distant past. What should you offer them? Guarantees, success stories, testimonials, and proof.

What to DO: Show them specific names, specific companies, and indisputable points of proof that you have a strong, clear and compelling track record of making those people happy. Let's face it - one BIG reason people don't want to buy is because they're putting their own relational capital (aka reputation) on the line. And that's risky. If you can remove the risk of the sale, you will open the floodgates to getting more and better clients for life. Hint: They won't believe YOU. They WILL believe your clients, references, referrals, and people who have given you money in the past and been thrilled to do so. Print up a sheet called "Client Success Stories." Put in 5-7 specific success stories with the right names to drop and the right stories to tell. Bingo! Instant sales breakthrough.

6. Suspicious of marketers/salespeople. Yes, of course they are. And you are, too. Salespeople and marketers have a long-standing (and sometimes accurate) reputation as liars, shysters, slimeballs, and fraudsters. That’s the stereotype you’re up against no matter how expensive your suit, how specialized your services, or how sincere your approach.

What to DO: Position yourself not as a salesperson OR a marketer. Position yourself as an expert - a thought-leader - a trusted advisor. In my marketing keynotes and seminars, I show a slide that has this text in a giant 288-point font: VALUE + TIME = TRUST. That’s the key. Deliver value - relevant insights, resources, advice, recommendations. Do this over time and become known as a person of value - and a company of value - and then over time, your prospects will begin to seek you out and you’ll be positioned as the obvious go-to choice for what you’re offering.

That’s the antidote to prospect IDIOTS who don’t buy from you. (Again, no offense - remember, it’s an acronym!)

Want to apply for your Speaker Strategy Call to see how you can IMPLEMENT some of these concepts right away? Apply for your call here.

In fact, you have about 24 hours to catch Early Bird pricing that expires tomorrow (9/21).

I'm talking with a lot of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and independent professionals about the program.

Some are a great fit for the program and will benefit hugely.

Some are not. I will almost always catch these people during the application process and weed them out.

This is one such story...

This entrepreneur emailed me the following question:

Hi David,

I hope you are having a great weekend! After some debate, here's the verdict: I want to take the course, I believe, you see, I'd make a great student - but money is an issue for the household if you know what I mean.

So here's a question: Would you feel comfortable giving us a 100% satisfaction guarantee? If at the end of 10 weeks I have not been able to get a solid booking(s) to at least cover the cost of the program, then you'd give us a full refund. But if I have been able to get a solid booking(s) at the end of the 10-week period, then we call it a major success and both parties are happy, including my wife. Can we do that?

I won't bore you with pointing out the half-dozen red flags with this prospect. You can probably see them all for yourself.

This post is about guaranteeing YOUR consulting, coaching, or training outcomes.

My policy - I don't do it.

And neither should YOU.

Here's what I replied to this fellow:

Pat,

If you're looking for some kind of guarantee, the problem is that I can only guarantee MY program.

I can't guarantee YOUR results.

Here's what I guarantee:

I'll lead 10 weekly calls

You'll get 10 weekly assignments

You'll get digital audio downloads of 10 calls

You'll get word-for-word transcripts of 10 calls

You'll get 280+ pages of tested small business marketing strategies, tools, templates, and ideas

The ideas and tactics you'll get have been proven with over 300 entrepreneurs, small business owners and independent professionals

I'll be available for UNLIMITED email support and respond to you within 1 business day, usually much sooner

You'll get TWO 30-minute private 1-on-1 calls with me which you can use for any purpose

You'll get full access to the online Group/Forum website for asking questions, seeking feedback, and posting responses and assignments

Here's what I cannot guarantee:

I can't guarantee you'll be on the calls

I can't guarantee you'll listen to the recordings

I can't guarantee you'll do your weekly assignments

I can't guarantee you'll read the transcripts

I can't guarantee you'll read the book

I can't guarantee you'll implement a single strategy or tactic

I can't guarantee you'll email me when you need help or guidance

I can't guarantee you'll set up your 2 private coaching calls

I can't guarantee you'll follow my advice

I can't guarantee you'll participate in the online forum

I can't guarantee you'll work hard (or at all) to make this program WORK for you

And I'm not in the business of "convincing" people with feel-good guarantees.

I don't work with hundreds of people at a clip. I work with a very small, very dedicated group of entrepreneurs, business owners and independent professionals who are committed to their own success and want to accelerate its timetable and expand its scope.

If that's you, then terrific. Let's do this thing.

If not, no hard feelings.

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on using guarantees in YOUR coaching, consulting, training or professional services business. And if you use a written guarantee, feel free to post the link and a quick plug for your services, too!

Here's a reimagined scene from one of my favorite movies, The Sixth Sense...

As a business owner, entrepreneur, or service professional, see if any of this sounds familiar to YOU - and if so, please share your experiences and advice in the COMMENTS area below...

COLE

I want to tell you my secret now.

Malcolm blinks very slowly

MALCOLM

Okay.

Cole takes an eternal pause. A silent tension engulfs them both

COLE

...I see people.

Malcolm just gazes quietly.

COLE

I see broke people...

MALCOLM

In your dreams?

Cole shakes his head, "No."

MALCOLM

When you're awake?

Cole nods, "Yes."

MALCOLM

Broke people, like beggars?

COLE

No, walking around, like business owners... They can't see each other. Some of them don't know they're broke.

MALCOLM

They don't know they're broke?

Malcolm becomes completely motionless. Works to hide his shock. He and Cole stare at each other a long time.

COLE

They tell me stories... how they used to land big clients without doing any marketing... how they wasted a fortune on a fancy PR firm... how they went into credit card debt to pay for a get-rich-quick internet marketing seminar...

Malcolm's words are extra-controlled. Revealing nothing.

MALCOLM

How often do you see them?

COLE

All the time. They're everywhere.

You won't tell anyone my secret, right?

MALCOLM

...No.

COLE

Will you stay here till I fall asleep?

Malcolm nods, "Yes." Cole pulls the covers up to his chin and turns to the window in the room. Malcolm is very still and stares at Cole.

COLE'S EYES LOOK AROUND THE ROOM WARILY... WE MOVE IN ON THEM -- TILL HIS EYES FILL THE FRAME.

And then we see what he's staring at. Through Cole's hospital room window we look across onto a run-down housing project.

Rows of small offices are visible. In the windows are broke business owners... SOME OLD, SOME YOUNG... SOME ARE DRESSED IN MODERN NEW CLOTHES... SOME WASH THEIR NEW CARS...

p.s. If you want to STOP seeing broke people and build your marketing, sales, and business development muscles, we still have a few open seats for the Simple Marketing Success 10-Week Virtual Bootcamp experience that starts October 8, 2013. Let me know you're interested (email or call me 610.716.5984) and I'll forward you the application materials and program guidelines right away.

Watch this short video and see if you are making these same sales mistakes...

[Click the "Enlarge" icon in the lower right corner to watch full screen]

Scary, right?

Needy, desperate, pushy, salesperson-centered tactics are so obvious and easy to spot when OTHER people (especially spammers) do them to us.

But how easy is it (and probably imperceptible to you) to fall into the same mode with YOUR own prospects, clients, customers, and buyers?

Stop chasing.

Stop hounding.

Stop bugging.

Stop "following up."

Start engaging.

Start inviting.

Start offering.

Start adding genuine value.

That's how professionals win!

p.s. If you want to grow your marketing, sales, and business development muscles, we still have a few open seats for the Simple Marketing Success 10-Week Virtual Bootcamp experience that starts October 8, 2013. Let me know you're interested (email or call me 610.716.5984) and I'll forward you the application materials and program guidelines right away.

We’ve all been there. And we all know that “Build it and they will come” is the last great false hope of the entrepreneurial class.

But in that statement also lies the answer.

Think about: “Build it and they will come”

Who’s “they”?

No, really - ask yourself this question.

Maybe even write down your answer on a piece of paper.

WHO. IS. “THEY”?

Most executives and entrepreneurs I work with who want to do a better job of marketing themselves and sell more products and services will come up with these answers:

THEY is:

My customers

My clients

My buyers

My prospects

OK, let’s take this one step further - who are your customers, clients, buyers, and prospects?

Here are some clues:

They’re not strangers

They’re not going to buy “sight unseen”

They’re not going to buy on first contact

So what does THAT mean?

They know you and your value proposition

With them, you’ve built up visibility and credibility

They buy (usually) based on a relationship, not on a single transactional impulse

Frankly, we all WISH buyers would buy ALL our products and services on a “transactional impulse” but that almost never happens, unless you’re running late night infomercials for knives - or insomnia cures. That one phone call - that one sales page on your website - that one email - that one postcard is almost NEVER going to make the sale.

Whatever product, service, or program you’re selling - the bottom line is simple:

You have to build the tribe before the tent.

Rather than this sequence:

Invest time, money, effort, and energy (lots) to create a new product/ service/ program

Offer it for sale

Crickets. (Silence.) More crickets

What if you created this sequence:

Be as helpful as you can to as many people as you can as frequently as you can

The next time you create something to sell, they’re lined up, credit card in hand, eager to buy the moment it’s released for sale

Who does this?

Rock stars. Artists. Gurus.

How?

They built the tribe before the tent.

Your website = your tent

Your keynote speeches and seminars = your tent

Your professional services offerings = your tent

Your newsletter = your tent

Your coaching and consulting programs = your tent

Your blog = your tent

Your LinkedIn Group = your tent

Your workshops, conferences or events = your tent

Your e-learning or video courses = your tent

Your Facebook business page = your tent

Your book = your tent

At the beginning, who and what are inside these tents? Obviously - it’s you. And a small fire. Just enough to keep you warm.

Now imagine yourself running around between these ELEVEN different tents, frantically tending those eleven fires, scrounging around finding enough wood to keep each fire alive.

How much room is there in each of these eleven small tents?

How available are you to welcome visitors into any one of those tents?

How much of a success (or failure) would you feel like if you occasionally got between 2-3 visitors in each tent to sit down and tell you their story or enjoy a toasted marshmallow with you?

How much time could you spend with THEM before running out to one of the nine or ten empty tents and leave them to entertain themselves?

How long do you think they'll stay in that empty tent without you to serve as host and with the fire slowly sputtering out in your absence?

Hmmmmm... interesting questions, right?

Now imagine things the other way...

You have a thriving tribe...

You offer them value

You invite their engagement

They start to follow you around

First 5 people - then 10 - then 25

And pretty soon 50, 100, 200 or more...

At some point, these folks will want to sit down - they’ll get hungry - they’ll get cold.

So you build something for them - a tent - and they welcome the opportunity to sit down with you around a blazing fire. They’ve each brought a log. One has a lighter. Another brings out some hot dogs. Someone else brought baked beans. Others start to break out the marshmallows, graham crackers and Hershey bars - S’mores for everyone!

There’s ONE tent. It’s not YOUR tent. It becomes OUR tent. You’re the leader. The provider. The sherpa. The guide. They gladly follow you for two reasons:

The experience you provide when they follow you (value, resources, stories, ideas, guidance)

The community you’ve built around them (the tribe, the relationships, the company of like-minded friends)

This is a much larger conversation -- and it’s tied to a very exciting project that we’re working on with some of the coolest small business experts on the planet. Can’t say any more than that for now. But stay tuned and you’re sure to hear more about it soon.

But the question YOU need to ask for the moment is…

How can YOU build the tribe before the tent?

Because sitting around in a small empty tent, exhausted, cold and alone… well, that just isn’t a lot of fun, is it?

What do YOU think? What are some examples of “building the tribe before the tent” that you’ve experienced? Are there some people YOU admire whose business fits into this model? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your thoughts and experiences…

There are only three problems that you, as a small business owner, entrepreneur or professional service provider, are ever going to be in a position to solve.

You may sell the world’s greatest widgets… You may have patented the most efficient doo-dad your industry has ever seen… Your flagship service may be the most effective on the planet with the only 100% bulletproof guarantee in the business…

Hard truth:

None of your prospects has a widget problem

None of your prospects has a doo-dad deficiency

None of your prospects stay up at night searching for a bulletproof guaranteed service

Let’s reframe your sales conversations as a delicate balancing act of investigating your prospect’s most important priorities and connecting your product or service to solving those specific problems or advancing those specific goals.

For the executives and decision-makers you’re selling to, at any given moment in time, their priorities might fall into one of three categories: Solving people problems, process problems, or profit problems. Which of these 63 sales triggers do you use the most? (Please use the COMMENTS area below to chime in...)

People Problems

People problems come in all shapes and sizes, but here’s a starter list so you can probe them more intelligently during your next sales conversation with a prospect:

Recruiting top talent

Retention of top talent

Employee engagement

Recognition and reward

Staff utilization

Leadership

Teamwork

Communication

Coaching

Collaboration

Succession

Silos and turf wars

Gossip, gab and the grapevine

Delegation

Micromanagement

Perfectionism

Negativity

Entitlement

Arrogance

Complacency

Process Problems

Process problems show up as inefficiencies, gaps, missed opportunities, too much wasted time or effort, too many steps, too much waste, too much bureaucracy or paperwork or too many layers between customer and company.

There were entire industries built around business process innovation and a handful of fads from the 1950’s to the 1990’s didn’t help – the total quality movement, business process re-engineering, outsourcing, insourcing, rightsizing, you name it.

Let’s cut to the chase and catalog a brief list of potential sources of process problems that you may want to discuss with your prospect in order to get their attention focused on the desired impact of your products or services.

Accounting

Billing

Call Centers

Contracting

Customer Service

Delivery

Distribution

Engineering

Facility management

Finance

Information Systems

Innovation

Inventory management

Manufacturing

Marketing

Operations

Payroll

Product development

Regulatory compliance

Research and development

Sales

Strategic planning

Workforce diversity

Profit Problems

Profit problems come in many shapes and sizes.

What’s important is that when you are marketing and selling your products and services that you do NOT overlook this vitally important problem that is NEVER far from the mind of any serious prospect.

Often placed at the end of a chain reaction of internal and external variables (where your products and services come into play), when you talk about solving your customers’ profitability problems, the outcomes almost always end up with YOU using the following “so that” phrases:

So that you sell more…

So that you sell more often…

So that you sell at full price…

So that you avoid discounting…

So that you open new markets…

So that you expand your product line…

So that you cut costs…

So that you manufacture and distribute more efficiently…

So that you speed up time to market…

So that you cross-sell…

So that you up-sell…

So that you open new channels…

So that you raise prices…

So that you boost your margins…

So that your per unit cost goes down…

So that you franchise…

So that you license…

So that your stock price goes up…

So that your revenues increase...

So that you conserve more cash…

Use these 63 checkpoints and you’ll be better equipped to isolate your prospect’s real issues - and you’ll more quickly identify the “problem behind the problem” and position your products and services in the context of solving the root cause of your prospect’s current challenges.

Do THAT and your sales conversations will become more successful in the short term and much more profitable in the long term.